Apparatus for making raceways for button-setting machines



(NoModL) J H.VVINTON.;

APPARATUS FOR MAKING RAOEWAYS F R UTTON SETTING MACHINES. No. 381,296. Patented Aplnll, 1888'.

NI-TED STATES" P TENT OFFIC JOHN H. VINTO'N, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSlGNQR To THE PENIN- SULAR NOVELTY COMPANY, or GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING RACEWAYS. FOR BUTTON-SETTING MACHINES.

SPECIPICAT T ON forming part of Letters Patent Noi381,296, dated April 17, 1 888.

7 Application filed February 1, 1887. Serial No. 226,129, (No modeLl T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LJOHN H. VINTON, of Boston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented 'an Improvement in Apparatus for Making Raceways for Button- Setting Machines, of which the following de-" -the drawings representing like parts;

Letters Patent of the United States heretofore granted for improvements in button-setting machines show hollow sheet-metal raceways rectangular in cross-section, the said raceways having each a T-shaped slot for the reception of staples with'shanlreyed buttons hung upon them.

This invention hasfor its object to provide means for simplifying and cheapening the production of those slotted raceways which are adapted to receive a connected staple and button, and also to secure greater accuracyin the finished article.

. In carrying OlllithlS llJV6I1tl0ll I proceed as follows, viz: A blank ore-fiat strip of metal is placed aboveasuitablyshaped die. A mandrel of rectangular shape in cross-section is placed upon the said blank. The mandrel with the blank beneath it is then forced intothe die by a plunger, such operation bending the opposite longitudinal edges of the blank upward upon the sides of the mandrel at substantially right angles. The die containing the blank thus bent and yet containing the mandrel is then placed beneath a second plunger of different shape, which plunger, acting upon the upwardlyturned. edges of the blank, bends the same p'artially over upon the upper side of the mandrel or toward each other. The die containing the blank, having its longitudinal edges partially overturned or bent toward each other, as stated, is then placed beneath 'a third plun ger,which is caused to act upon and force down upon the upper side of the mandrel the two partially-overturned edges of the blank. The rectangular former is then withdrawn from the sheet-metal tube thus bent over upon it, leaving the tube with" an opening rectangular in cross-section and of sufficient size to receive a staple. A second mandrel, having asuitable blade near one end, isthen introduced into the v tube so formed, and while the latter rigidly A held by clamps or jaws the said second mandrel is drawn through it, so that the blade, by I its cooperation with the clamps or jaws hold- 7 ing the said tube, cuts away a narrow strip'of metal upon one side of the said/tube to form a slot or opening into thejrectangular staple-re- 'ceiving opening, which slot receives the shank or eye of the button attached to ortpendent'" from the staple;

' The invention consists of an apparatus sub-' stantially such as hereinafter; particularly *set E A 'forth and claimed, constructed to operate in the manner and for the purpose just set forth.

Figure 1 shows in vertical section a die having a blank placed upon it, a mandrel, and a plunger in position abovethe mandrel; .Fig. 2, a cross-section'of the die' containing the blank and mandrel after it has been actednpon by the plunger, (shown in Fig. 1,) the said die having been moved into positionbeneathasec- 0nd plunger; Fig. 3, a cross-section of the die I 1 containing the blank and mandrel after it has been acted upon bythe second plunger, (showni in Fig. 2,) the said die having been moved into position beneath a third plunger; Fig. 4, across-section of the mandrel-with the blank encircling it after the third plunger (shown in Fig. 3) has acted upon it and the said mandrel.

has bee'nremoved from the die. I Fig. 5 shows the mandrel by itself; Fig. 6, atop view ofthe tube after the mandrel has been removed; Fig.

7, a perspective view of the devices employed for cutting the sloti in the upper side of the tube; Fig. 8, a perspective view of thelslotting-mandrel, it having a cutting-blade nearone end, which is employed, in co-operation with other devices, to cut the slot'inthe-upper side. of the tube; Fig. 9, across-section of thetube bent and slotted. in accordance with this invention; and Fig. 10, a cross-section of a the slotting device. shown inFig. 7, taken on the dotted line at w. I

The die-block a is out orhollowed out to pre sent a recess, whichis partly filled bya wedgeblock, 25, to form a space, of, of Substantially rectangular shape in cross-section, said dieblock being placed upon or formed as apart of a bed of a press of any ordinary construction. The said die-block and wedge are cut away to present two shoulders, 12 14, one at each side of the space ed. A plunger, a, carried by any suitable moving cross head or arm, descends upon the mandrel a, forcing it, together with the metal blank 2 beneath it, into the space a of the die, thus bending the opposite longitudinal edges of the blank 2 upward about the mandrel a, as shown in Fig. 2. The die containing the blank 2thus bent, and yet containing the mandrel a, is then placed or moved beneath a second plunger, 12, also carried by any suitable moving crosshead, and having a V-shaped strikingface, so

' scends it strikes the overturned edges of the blank 2 and acts to compress the same firmly down upon the former c, as shown in Fig. 4. The blank and its mandrel are then removed from the die by first removing or sliding the wedge-block 25. The blank, thus bent around the rectangular-shaped mandrel a, as just described, and yet containing the said mandrel, is held by any suitable clamps or by other suitable means, and the said mandrel is withdrawn, leaving a tube having a rectangularshaped opening in cross-section, which receives the staple. Aslotting-mandrel, d, (see Fig. 8,) of such size as to fill the rectangularshaped tube,is then inserted into the said tube.

The mandrel d has a cutting-blade, d, fastened to it near one end, and the tube 2, containing the slotting-mandrel d, is held rigidly by a suitable clamp-such, for instance, as shown in Fig. 7the said clamps consisting, essentially, of two blocks, d d provided with sharp shoulders to engage the tube, the said blocks being placed side by side above the tube and made fast to a recessed bed-plate, 30, and suitable wedge, 31, being placed beneath the tube to maintain the said tube in position. The tube being thus rigidly held in position, the mandrel d is drawn through the bent tube 2, and the cutting-blade d, cooperating with the blocks d d, removes that portion of the material of the tube which is exposed between the two blocks d d*, and forms a slot, 6, along the upper side of the raceway, as distinctly shown in Fig.- 9, such slot entering into the rectangular opening and serving as a passage for the shank or eye of the button attached to or pendent from the staple.

By these provisions for manufacturing the raceway it may be very cheaply, rapidly, and accurately made, such accuracy being a necessity to secure a free passage for the staples and buttons and to obviate all tendency of either the button or staple to move sidewise.

The machine herein shown for slotting the tubes has been made the subject-matter of an application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 250,698, filed January 14, 1888.

I claim- In combination, a die, a mandrel to enter said die, with a sheet-metal blank interposed between the two, and a series of plungers constructed successively to bend up the ends of the blank, then turn them in toward each other, and then flatten them down upon the mandrel, and a cutter to finish the adjacent edges of the downturned ends, and thus complete a slotted rectangular tube, substantially as described.

In testimony whereofI have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses:

JOHN H. VINTON.

.Vitnesses:

BERNICE J. NoYEs, F. L. EMERY. 

